That Summer
by Flaming-Bee
Summary: The lives of the Weasley clan had involved their fair share of rough patches, but in recent years they seemed to have all the luck. Then came that Summer and the decision of one altered the lives of them all... A New Generation fic, I only ask people give it a shot and if it's not your thing I won't take offense.
1. Chapter 1

**Summer 2019**

The meagre light of the setting summer Sun cast an orange glow across the dunes of Cornwall, the sparse patches of sea lavender gently swaying in the light breeze that carried their delicate scent to the part-Veela. She had her eyes closed, head propped up in her cupped hands with her elbows resting on the window-ledge, as she enjoyed the moment of quiet that was bound to elude her as the evening set in.

"'Toire!" The shout from the bedroom doorway caused her to jump upright, spinning to find her younger sister in a short, electric blue dress, brandishing a brush and what appeared to be a large selection of hair accessories. Dominique seemed to be unaware she'd startled her sibling, instead strolling in and flopping onto the pale sheets of the double bed as she spoke. "You wouldn't mind helping with my hair, would you? I'd ask maman, but you know how she is, she'll be too busy messing about with her own to do mine and I'm absolutely useless at all the hair charms. You're always first ready anyway-" Her blue eyes darted up from the selection of clips, her chatter suddenly stopping as she looked her sister up and down. "Wow…"

Victoire grinned at the whispered reaction. "That's what I was going for."

She'd gone out with her mother during her final Easter holidays to find the perfect dress, a deep burgundy number consisting of an opaque, sleeveless leotard and a sheer, floaty material that fell to her ankles. There was large slit travelling up from the skirt's hem to her hip and the neckline was an unusual sort of halter neck that she'd yet to see anywhere else. She'd fixed her own hair into a thick French plait which finished an inch or so above her waist, her eyes thickly lined in black and her lips a delicate nude. She'd completed the whole look with the gold chandelier earrings that one of their many Aunts had given her for her birthday, a couple of gold bangles on one wrist and the golden sandal heels that sat by her door.

"Well, if there was ever any chance the attention would be on anyone else during your graduation party, that's certainly not going to be the case now." Dominique turned her back to give the older girl access to her mess of dirty blonde hair, the sight causing her to tut.

"Do you know how to use the brush you're holding?"

"You sound just like maman!"

"She has a point," Victoire laughed as she took the hairbrush from her sister's grasp and set about untangling the strands, muttering a couple of charms under her breath as she did so to ease the process.

"So how many non-family people are gonna be at this party?" Dom asked as she examined her nails, which she'd painted a pale pink in an attempt to disguise her bad habit of chewing them to a quick. "I mean, ignoring the Longbottoms and that."

"Mmm," The elder of the two hummed as she thought for a second, her mouth full of hair pins muffling her next words. "I'm not too sure – depends who the others have invited." Dominique yelped as her sister accidentally prodded one hair grip into her scalp. "Sorry! Anyways, all I know for sure is that Pete is coming with Ted." Peter was Teddy's muggleborn best friend and current flat mate who'd become a friend of Victoire's as well during their time at Hogwarts together.

"Oh right," the younger sister stopped examining her manicure and took to absent-mindedly tapping her fingers against her thigh. "Well I know that the whole gang is coming, and Roxie's friends with Johnny's sister so she'll come, then there's-"

Victoire stopped listening as Dominique began to list what seemed to be an endless torrent of people she had never met or heard of before, instead focusing on the tight ponytail she'd managed to tame her sister's hair into. She was just setting it with a fixing charm when their mother appeared in the doorway looking rather flustered as she clutched her nude heels in one hand and dragged their younger brother along with the other.

"We need to head off girls, your father failed to tell me that he'd volunteered us all to help set up!" Fleur raised her thickly-accented voice as she spoke in the direction of the stairs, hoping her husband might hear. She turned to look into the room just as her daughters pulled themselves up from the bed, Dominique hurrying to the mirror on the wall to check her sister's handiwork was up to scratch. "Victoire, darling, look at you!" Their mother practically shrieked the words as she released Louis and her shoes all at once and rushed to clutch her eldest daughter's forearms, her eyes sweeping up and down the elegant gown. "Oh you look perfect, the dress, the hair – and Ginny will be so pleased to see you are wearing the earrings!" She smiled as she raised a hand to Victoire's cheek. "I can't believe you're all grown up and graduated already, it seems like only yesterday we brought you home from St Mungo's." The older woman sniffed, her eyes watering and she couldn't help laugh. "Oh ignore me, I'm getting soppy already and the night's not even started. It's just your father and I… Well we're just so proud of you."

"Fleur!" The smile immediately morphed into an exasperated expression at the sound of Bill's voice calling up the stairs. After issuing a quick five minute warning, the woman strode out the room, collecting her shoes before continuing to shout at her husband on the way down.

Victoire took one final peek in the mirror, glad to see her makeup and hair were still perfectly in place thanks to a multitude of glamours and charms. She headed out, being sure to snatch her sandals along the way, and nearly collided into Dominique who was attempting to make her own way downstairs in a towering pair of black sandals.

"You know the smart thing to do is put them on once you've made it down, heels and stairs don't mix well." Dominique merely shrugged as she began her descent at a pain-stakingly slow speed. Victoire rolled her eyes, shuffling carefully past her sister and pausing in front of her, bending over with her back to Dominique as she offered: "Hop on."

The younger girl carefully clambered on and squeezed Victoire's shoulders tightly as they piggy-backed down the stairs. Once they'd reached the bottom Dominique attempted to leap off but found her legs weren't being released as the pair stumbled into the kitchen, Victoire laughing at the squeals of protest and laughter coming from the younger girl. Their loud entry interrupted what seemed to have been an argument between Louis and their mother over the odd socks he was wearing, Bill silently watching with an amused expression as he leant casually against the fireplace. His face lit up at the sight of his two daughters.

"At last! Right, I think we're all set to go now," He spoke rapidly as he reached for the floo powder on the mantle piece, but his wrist was snatched away by Fleur who gestured towards the girls whilst giving him an expectant look. He frowned at his wife, briefly glancing at both Victoire and Dominique and then turning back to her. "What?"

She sighed dramatically. "They both look lovely tonight, don't you think?"

The red-head returned to look at his daughters but they both knew he wasn't one for noticing clothes and such with women. "Well, apart from those ridiculous shoes, yes." He finally spoke, indicating Dominique's black heels. "Do you really need to wear those?"

Whilst Victoire probably would've gone and changed at these words, Dominique simply grinned at her father and responded; "Maybe if you'd given me a few more tall genes I wouldn't need to, but sadly I'm a bit of a house elf in the height department." She strode expertly over to him and came to just above his shoulder. "Besides, now I'm the perfect height to give you a proper hug!"

Watching her sister squeeze their father tightly before planting a very loud kiss on his cheek and flashing him a cheeky grin, Victoire couldn't stop herself from snickering a little. It turned into full on laughter when she saw the all too familiar melting of her father's stern expression.

"Honestly, you've got him wound tighter round your little finger than I do," Fleur exclaimed with disbelief and a hint of humour in her voice. "Enough of this messing around – Victoire, Louis put your shoes on and then follow us all through!"

%%%

About three hours later Victoire found herself within the giant marquee, the location of a majority of the Weasley's celebrations, sipping butterbeer as she listened to her three closest friends from Hogwarts, Louise, Maisie and Skylar, talking about their plans now they'd finally graduated.

"All the main teams have their open trials in the next couple of weeks, yknow so there's time for training new talent before the season starts, so I figure if I plan this right I can try out for more than half the major league teams. That's if the first one doesn't snap me up on the spot, of course." Skylar flipped her chocolate coloured curls over one tanned shoulder as she spoke, her red lips framing a confident grin. She was quite often outspoken and sure of herself but it was not unfounded – she'd been Head Girl this year, although she wasn't a genius her consistently good grades along with her hard work and her natural charm meant all their professors had loved her and of course she was a demon on the Quidditch field. Some people found her to be a little arrogant but Victoire knew that her friend never intended to give off such an impression, if you could get past that bravado you'd find Skylar was the go to girl for a good time.

Maisie rolled her eyes at the last comment whilst taking a swig of her firewhiskey. "And then finally all your weird little bedtime exercise regimes in our dormitory will be justified." The little blonde grinned as Skylar poked her tongue out before knocking back some of her own liquor. The two Ravenclaws had shared a bedroom since first year and were best friends, their constant jibes and taunting of one another providing the entertainment for their little group. In spite of all the seeming bad blood the two girls had never actually been in a real argument.

"You're lucky you're allowed to go to all of them, my mum barely agreed to let me go to one trial let alone around thirty!" Louise grumbled, her auburn ponytail swaying to and fro behind her as she spoke. She was a half-blood who'd never know her father, so her muggle mother was often reluctant to let her get too involved in the Wizarding World, something Victoire had learnt having been Hufflepuff dorm mates throughout school.

Skylar's trademark smirk reached her face as she remarked; "Who says my parents know about it?" She shrugged. "I'm an adult, they can't do much. Then once I've got a bit of money coming I can finally move out!" She slung her free arm round Maisie's shoulder. "Then it'll be the two amigos to the end, right Mais'?"

"You guys are moving in together?" Victoire questioned.

Maisie shrugged. "We're both pretty desperate to get out from under our parents' thumbs, hopefully my summer internship will lead to a permanent ministry post. So if we can both afford it, why not?"

"She'll miss my company too much to stay away for long." Skylar winked, her best friend snorting and mumbling some insult under her breath. "You know it's true, no matter how much you deny it!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Sky," Maisie raised her glass in a mock toast before downing the rest of the amber coloured liquid. "I'm gonna need another one of these if I have to keep dealing with you all night."

"What a coincidence, I need a top up too!" the brunette declared before swiftly downing the rest of her own beverage and grasping the little blonde's wrist. Maisie's mouthed 'help' before the two girls disappeared across the room to the drinks table, leaving both their friends in fits of laughter.

Louise was first to catch her breath. "Even if Maisie claims she won't miss her company, I'm sure gonna miss seeing those two every day, even if it's hard to eat breakfast in hysterics." The chestnut-haired girl then turned to Victoire who'd finally managed to stop laughing too. "So where're Ted and Peter, I thought they'd have come early like your family?"

The part-Veela sighed dramatically. "Don't remind me – I'd expect this from Pete, but Teddy is normally good about telling me if he's running late or if their Auror training has been extended. When they get here-"

"Uh-oh!" She was interrupted by none other than the men themselves. "Sounds like we're in for a scolding already Ted."

The tall blue-haired metamorphagus grinned sheepishly at his girlfriend who was doing her best to keep a disapproving expression on her face. "Alright, Vic? We just-"

"You, _you_, don't bring me into it! All your fault this time, Ted," Peter declared with amusement.

"Cheers, mate," Teddy responded sarcastically before continuing. "Right so _I _just had to get something sorted before we came and it took longer than I expected, but I'm really, _really _sorry and we're here now so…"

Victoire's raised eyebrow and folded arms caused him to tail off. "What was so important that it took priority over turning up on time?"

"I, uh-"

"And why didn't you owl ahead to say you'd be late?"

Teddy took a step toward her and hugged her, his chin resting on the top of her head as he did so. Her arms remained tightly crossed as she waited for him to speak, refusing to return the affectionate gesture until then. "I promise you'll find out later. I would've sent a message if I'd realised the time." He could feel her relax a little against him, which he took as a good sign and he pressed a kiss to her temple as he pulled away, hands holding her shoulders as they locked gazes. "We good?"`

She nodded with a small smile before pulling him down to press her lips to his in a chaste kiss. "Next time I won't cave so easy."

"When you two are quite done," Peter grinned, used to their public displays of affection but nonetheless finding entertainment in cutting them short. "You gonna give your buddy Pete a little love too?"

Victoire rolled her eyes before stepping over and hugging the broad brunette boy. He was about a head shorter than Teddy with bright blue eyes, his chocolate coloured locks carefully gelled up at all times these days. "You're getting needy in your old age."

"Rubbish!" He gasped in mock outrage, Louise giggling at the whole exchange.

"I dunno, she might have a point, mate," Teddy grinned as he slipped an arm round Victoire's waist and stood beside her. "At Hogwarts you'd never have demanded a cuddle off her."

Peter shook his head. "I expected more from you, Ted. Then again you've only just clawed your way out the dog house, I can understand you don't wanna disagree with the Mrs too soon."

Louise's laughter got even louder, Victoire and Teddy joining in as Peter pretended not to understand what was so funny about his 'serious' words. Whilst they all struggled to regain their composure Skylar and Maisie reappeared, the latter dragging her best friend who'd clearly had more than enough to drink.

"What took you two so long?" Louise once again managed to recover first.

Maisie smirked before replying. "I think Vic's Uncle Charlie might have had a few too many already, he and Skylar were having a pretty lengthy flirting session before it stopped being funny and I decided we ought to come back."

"Oh Merlin," Victoire sniggered. "Grandma will have a fit if she catches him, she had words with him about this before. When he's drinking he really can't help himself!"

"Since _you_ decided to _drag_ me away from a perfectly _lovely_ conversation," Skylar slurred whilst prodding her friend in the chest. "I feel you owe me a dance or two!" Maisie grimaced at the idea but was soon giggling as Skylar attempted to pull a sad puppy dog face.

"Aww, you can't say no to that little face!" Louise gushed grasping her two friend's hands and pulling them in the direction of the dance floor, shouting behind her. "Come on, Vic!"

%%%

The group were still bobbing along to the music a good hour and a half later, but they'd separated slightly. Louise, Maisie and Peter were all happily jumping around together having had a couple more drinks as the night progressed, whilst Skylar had been re-found by Charlie and was happily spinning around with him, clearly both beyond drunk at this point. Victoire and Teddy were swaying to the beat of the song, his arms round her waist whilst her own were round his neck in an all too familiar embrace.

As the song changed to an even faster beat the couple were suddenly split apart by a stumbling Dominique who'd clearly been sneaking alcohol from somewhere by the look of her. Teddy smiled, attempting not to chuckle, as Victoire quickly grabbed her sister before she fell to the floor.

"Alright, 'Toire?" the younger girl was wide-eyed and her pupils seemed glazed over. "Didn't mean to break up the love fest, Ted, but I warned Sean that if he spun me any faster I'd be all over the place!"

"I bet you did," Teddy raised his eyebrows as the pint-size Weasley stood up straight again, quickly pulling at the hem of her dress to maintain her decency. "I'm surprised you've managed to spin at all in those heels."

Dominique winked at the blue-haired boy as she strode away, calling over her shoulder; "Just part of my natural skill set, Ted!"

Victoire shook her head, feeling a little exasperated. "Maman is going to kill her if she realises she's been drinking." She slapped Teddy's forearm when he burst out laughing. "It isn't funny! Don't you remember my sixteenth birthday when you and Pete snuck in that bottle of Ogden's? She wouldn't let me see either of you for almost a month after that!"

He merely shrugged. "She's just having a bit of fun, no harm done. If your mum's had enough of the Elf wine then she won't notice any difference." She giggled at that, knowing he was probably right – her mother wasn't usually a big drinker but she had a weakness for the red wine her sister sent from Southern France. "Hey, would now be a good time to show you what was more important than turning up on time?"

One eyebrow lazily lifted as Victoire looked up at him, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Please do."

At her command he snatched her hand and dragged her out of the throng of dancing people, ignoring the calls from their less than sober friends, before managing to push their way to the edge of the marquee. Teddy knelt down and lifted the bottom of the canvas wall, gesturing for his girlfriend to slip through before he followed. She noticeably shivered as they left the comfort of the tent's warming charms but he was quick to slip his suit jacket off and place it over her shoulders. He then proceeded to lead her further from the party until they stood beside one of the many large trees within the orchard, the sweet smell of over ripe fruit thickening the air.

They stood in silence for near to a minute before Victoire felt the need to break it. "Well?"

"Right," the older boy's smile was forced, confusing her. "So I was kinda late…"

"You were _very _late," she corrected, her voice joking.

His face briefly lightened up. "Right, sorry – so I was _very _late because I needed to go to Diagon Alley." She frowned but he answered her question before she could ask. "I was picking up a gift for you, but it took me longer than I thought to get exactly what I wanted. A lot longer. I mean I'd only mentioned in passing to Pete that maybe I should get you something and then we trawled around a load of places before I got this big idea, I thought it was brilliant but Pete said I needed to think everything through. So I had to talk him round before we could actually go about finding exactly what I wanted which was the most time consuming part cause well…" He blushed so she reached out for his hand and gently squeezed it, encouraging him to continue. "Cause I wanted to get this absolutely perfect. You deserve perfect."

Victoire felt her own cheeks flush at his words whilst Teddy reached to grab her other hand. "You really didn't have to get me anything, Ted. It's just graduation, everyone does it."

His lopsided grin took over the previously serious expression. "I really wanted to get you this. Vic, we've been together four year-"

"Four and a half." She bit her lip, cursing herself for interrupting but he simply laughed.

"Right, four and a half years. We've become completely different people in that time but we've grown _together _and even though the past three years, being apart so much, has been tough I think we've proven we can survive that. Our relationship can survive the hard times and I think that might mean it's meant to last."

Victoire's eyes widened at the words and her heart started to pulse at an uncomfortably fast rate. He couldn't mean what she thought, he just couldn't…

"So I figured if it's going to last anyway, what's the point in waiting to do this."

The tall boy released her hands and dropped down to one knee whilst fumbling in his trouser pocket. It made for a few seconds of awkward silence during which Victoire couldn't move a single muscle, the shock and panic overwhelming her at what he was about to do. _It's too soon_ – that was the only thought she could feel whirring through her mind – _I'm eighteen, I'm not ready_.

"I love you, Victoire Weasley," She was dragged out of her mind to see he was presenting an opened blue velvet box, a white gold ring with a sea blue sapphire much like her eyes nestled in the centre. "Will you marry me?"

You could've heard a pin drop in the pause that followed, Victoire remaining stock still as she eyed the ring with worrying intensity. Teddy shifted uncomfortably on his knee and let out a nervous chuckle. "Vic? Don't leave a guy hanging."

She slowly drew in a breath as she continued to stare at the band, her bottom lip beginning to tremble before tears started to prick at the corner of her eyes. She swallowed thickly and at last managed to push out a whispered response; "No…"

%%%

_So I've been dying to do a New Generation story, so I decided it was best to start it with a bang. I love TeddyxVictoire, they're probably my favourite of the New Gen, but this is a particularly important moment in my version of the Potterverse future and I wanted to set the ball rolling from the outset so this seemed the most logical way to do it. My plan is to continue this only if there's a little demand for it because I do have another HP story to complete and I'm at university studying at the moment so I have to spread my free time wisely. However I really do love the characters so even if just one or two of you are keen for continuation I guarantee I'll get round to it._

_Helpful/constructive criticism always welcome :)_


	2. Chapter 2

The air in the marquee was thick and humid, the throng of dancing guests showing signs of beginning to disperse as the fatigue finally gained on some of the older guests. Dominique couldn't understand the draining of energy herself, happily bouncing and twirling around with 'the gang' as she had been for a majority of the evening so far – although she only now noticed that they'd all gotten separated and she was in fact just being spun around by Sean Finnigan once again.

"Will you stop!" She giggled, wobbling as she tried to steady herself. "You'll have me flying into another one of my relatives if you carry on." She stumbled forward, her arms flying out and landing against his chest. The part-veela looked into the startled face of her friend and raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter, Sean? Never been so close to a girl before?"

He laughed at that, pulling her upright as he replied. "I've spent plenty of time in close proximity with girls, thank you Dom."

"Not that I've seen." Dominique teased in an aggravating sing-song tone that earned her a grim expression. "Oh, come on, it's true! You've not had one girlfriend the whole of fourth year."

"Doesn't mean I've not snogged a few!" Sean responded grumpily. "You saw at the Christmas party in the common room, that girl with the freckles! And when we won the match against Slytherin, that blonde with the nose ring couldn't keep away from me."

She snorted dismissively. "Your memory of names is as impeccable as always." She strode, or more likely fell, forward, though she was too drunk to tell at this point. "If you're such a ladies man then why haven't you snogged anyone here yet?"

The dark-haired boy was equally intoxicated and a smug grin spread across his face. "Was there anyone in particular you had in mind?"

Rolling her eyes at the line, she slipped her arms around his neck and brought his lips to her own in a clumsy gesture, feeling him circle his hands around her waist. She was quick to involve her tongue in the kiss and felt him return with matched enthusiasm, his hands slowly slithering lower than where they'd previously rested. She broke the embrace after a minute or so and clutched his forearm before dragging him through the crowd, out the tent and in the direction of the Burrow.

Pausing by the back door, Dominique gestured for Sean to stay put as she peaked through the kitchen window to see if they were clear to enter. It took a second for her to realise what she was watching and recoil in disgust – she now knew where Fred and Robyn Thomas had disappeared to, showing far too much skin than was decent in the room where they frequently had family dinners. She turned to her friend with a shrug and instead pulled him round the side of the building, pinning him against the wall before re-initiating their make out session.

As things continued to heat up, Dominique could feel her mind start to sober up and with her returning consciousness came the realisation she was currently smacking lips with one of her best friends. What's worse, it wasn't even as though she actually _wanted _to be kissing Sean – she'd never looked at him that way and she certainly had no intentions of dating him.

She could feel one of his hands creeping closer to the hem of her dress with every second that passed and she grew more uncomfortable with each centimetre. How on Earth was she meant to get out of this?

A single shout coming from the direction of the orchard caught both their attentions and Dominique was quick to use this as an excuse to tear away from the now awkward embrace. It was dark, particularly in contrast to the bright light of the tent, but she could spot the outline two figures among the trees – one was racing toward the Burrow at increasing speed. As it grew closer she could just make out the billowing burgundy skirt…

"Victoire?!" She called to her sister but the older girl didn't as much as flinch, instead continuing straight through the front door. As she passed them it had been easy to see the tracks made in her make up by tears, her previously perfect eyeliner now in uneven black trails down her cheeks.

Dominique didn't bother to give Sean an explanation before she took off after her sibling, hearing the unmistakable whoosh of the floo network being put to use as she swiftly made her way through the living room and, taking a shot in the dark, made her way home through the green flames.

As she stepped out into the kitchen she could hear the footsteps from the ceiling above and made her way up the stairs, finding Victoire wasn't huddled up and crying like she'd expected but instead methodically racing round her room, throwing and summoning items into her old Hogwarts trunk.

"'Toire?" the older blonde jumped, unaware she was expecting company, and smiled weakly at her younger sister before continuing to pack. "What on Earth happened?"

"It's not important," her voice sounded gruff and she spoke so quietly that Dominique had struggled to catch the words.

"It certainly looks like it's important! What are you even doing?"

She shook her head at the question, her thick plait bobbing from side to side as she sorted through the array of creams and cleansers on her dresser. "Go back to the party, Dom."

The younger half-veela could hardly believe her ears. "Are you _mad_? Do you really think I'm just going to waltz off back to a party, _your _party, when I've found you looking like a tsunami has hit your face, packing all your worldly possessions away in a trunk?!" She moved into the room and flopped down on her sister's bed, watching Victoire continue to sift through her things. "Talk to me, 'Toire."

"I don't want to talk, Dom," her voice was monotonous, her mind set entirely to the task at hand. "I want you to leave me be and go back to the party."

"Did something happen in the orchard? Who were you talking to out there?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters!" Dominique exclaimed, her frustration getting the better of her. "How can something that has you so upset not matter?!"

"You're right, it does matter – but it has nothing to do with you whatsoever so would you please just go back to the party and leave me alone!" Victoire was always the patient one but she was clearly at the end of her fuse now. "I've had enough trouble tonight without having you trying to pry!"

"I'm not being nosey, 'Toire, I'm trying to help you!" Dominique's voice was now raised to match her sister's volume, her face growing a little red as was the habit with an angry Weasley. "Just like I always am, and just like always you're brushing me off-"

"Because, just like always, you wouldn't have a bloody clue what to do about anything even if I did tell you!" Victoire sniped.

"You haven't even given me a chance! What the hell is going on-"

"Teddy proposed!" Victoire shouted. "Ok? Teddy proposed and I said no."

"You said no?" Dominique repeated in confusion.

"Yes, I said no. And the fact you don't seem to be able to comprehend that is exactly why you didn't need to know in the first place. Now please leave me alone."

There was a long uncomfortable pause in which Dominique sat staring blankly at her sister who'd returned to preparing her luggage, her attention now on the wardrobe as if nothing had happened.

"Don't you love him?"

The words stopped Victoire in her tracks and she let out a deep sigh before turning to face her sister with a look of defeat on her face.

"Of course I do."

"Then why-"

"I can't do this, Dom," Victoire gave a sad smile, her eyes watering once more. "I just… I can't deal with these questions right now, ok?" She moved forward and pulled her younger sister into her arms, squeezing her tight. "Just please, go back to the party, for me?"

Dominique swallowed before pulling away to look into the deep blue eyes, almost identical to her own if it weren't for the barrage of emotions currently reflected there.

"Ok."

%%%

"Quit it, Freddie!"

The boy smiled, the trademark cheeky grin he'd inherited from his infamous jokester father, as he continued to lazily stroke along his female companion's side. She squirmed under the ticklish, feather light touch and attempted to seem cross with him.

"Fred Lee Weasley if you don't stop that right now-"

Robyn was cut off as he moved to cover her mouth with his own, his lips turned up in a triumphant smirk. She shoved him away half-heartedly, taking a couple of steps up the staircase and lifting one finger in a beckoning fashion. The two had managed to move out of the kitchen since Dominique had spotted them, Robyn having been worried that anyone could've walked in. Fred hadn't seen any reason to worry himself, but nonetheless complied with his friend for fear that if he didn't they'd have to end whatever it was they'd set in motion. The truth was that, whilst they'd been friends since their first year, it was only as their O.W.L.s had been approaching this summer that he'd started to really look at her as anything more and tonight was the first opportunity he'd had to act on it.

"You know winding me up won't get you anywhere." She leant idly against the bannister.

"Hasn't done any harm up till now, though, has it?" People often marvelled at just how over-confident Fred Weasley could be and he was certainly no different in that respect when it came to his romantic endeavours. He reached the staircase in two lazy paces and looked up at the girl with dark chocolate eyes and ink black hair, her skin tight red mid-length dress hugging all her curves and leaving little to his imagination.

"You really are unbelievable sometimes." Robyn grinned down at him.

"You don't seem too unhappy with that."

Fred moved onto the bottom step and placed his hands on either hip, tracing small circles with his thumbs delicately as he lightly pressed his lips to hers, almost in the ghost of a kiss. He could see the way her eyes fluttered shut, the pulse in her neck visibly increased, her breathing growing shallow, he was teasing her and she loved every moment.

"Tell me what you want."

"You know what I want," She practically growled the words out, her eyes now open and fixed intently on him. "Quit messing around."

He shook his head, continuing to gently brush his thumbs against the fabric of her dress, his grip growing a little firmer. "Uh-uh, you don't get anything unless you ask me for it. You just have to say the word," Fred moved until he was practically breathing the words on her ear. "And you get whatever you want."

He was delighted to hear a quiet whimper escape Robyn's lips before a loud roar came from the fireplace in the sitting room, unmistakable as the sound of the floo being activated. He frowned before a soft hand forced his face back to look at his friend, the deep brown irises now blazing.

"_Whatever _I want?" Her voice was husky, her teeth lightly clamping down on her lower lip. Fred could feel himself start to lose control when the footsteps from the living room revealed his pint-sized blonde cousin strolling out with a torn expression.

"Dom?" Fred called out and the part-veela's head snapped up to look at him. He could tell she was distressed from the way she was currently nibbling at her already non-existent nails, pale pink flecks of varnish flaking off. "What's up?"

The girl's eyes darted from him to Robyn, who he'd somehow forgotten was there with him in that moment, before she answered. "Don't worry about it – you're busy." As Dominique strode off, Fred turned back to his friend who'd now folded her arms across her chest, her mouth set in a grim line and one dark eyebrow raised.

"What?" It looked like he was in trouble but he had no idea what for.

His friend rolled her eyes before gesturing in the direction his cousin had disappeared. "Go on, then! You need to go after her."

"But she said-"

"Oh, please, Freddie – you know when a girl says 'don't worry' she's just trying not to bother you." She poked him in the chest. "Go find Dom and sort out whatever is going on." Fred was hesitant for a moment but Robyn quickly planted a kiss on his cheek before slipping past him and in the direction of the back door, calling over her shoulder; "Come find me when you're done!"

He couldn't help the goofy smile that appeared on his face whilst he watched her walk away however once he regained his composure, the dark-haired boy was quick to jump off the steps and dart off in pursuit of Dominique. It wasn't too difficult to find her leaning against the wall beside the front door, her face giving no hint as to her current emotions.

"Dom?" She turned to look at her cousin and briefly flashed him a small smile before focusing back on the horizon. He moved to settle beside her. "What's up?"

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything," she sounded meek, unusual for the normally boisterous blonde. "You didn't have to ditch Robyn to come talk to me."

Fred laughed as he slung an arm round his cousin's shoulders. "Are you kidding? She practically threw me out here to come talk to you." Dominique regarded him with suspicion. "You're her friend too, you know." She nodded before dropping her head to study her own feet. "So are you gonna spill the beans or do I have to wrench it out of you?"

"I haven't got a clue what you're on about." She mumbled without looking up.

"Knock it off, Dom, I've known you your whole life. I can tell when something isn't right."

She sighed and lifted her chin, her crown resting on the brickwork as she inhaled deeply a couple of times, her eyes closed as she seemed to wrestle with her own thoughts. At last his cousin spoke; "Teddy proposed to Victoire."

"What?!"

She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by his loud volume. "And she said no."

"_What?!_"

"Keep it down, Fred, you're not helping!" She stated, exasperation leaking into her voice.

"Oh come on, cut me some slack, Dom. You can't drop a bombshell like that and expect me to be cool about it – this is huge!"

"I know," She mumbled miserably as she brought her head back down, her eye-line set firmly on the horizon once more. "And I'm worried about what'll happen now."

Fred frowned. "What d'you mean?"

Dominique sighed dramatically. "Think about it, Fred. Teddy is practically family, all of us treat him as such. He and Victoire's lives are pretty heavily entwined, how are they supposed to carry on now as if nothing has changed? Are you expecting them to just sit beside each other at family dinners and laugh about the time he tried to propose and she shot him down?"

"I'm sure it wasn't quite so brutal."

"Even so, he'll be hurt. And she looked pretty distraught about the whole thing too. How are they meant to recover from that?"

The two stood in companionable silence for a couple of minutes, the magnitude of the situation really sinking in for both of them. Fred was trying to think of any way that they're family might be able to simply bounce back from this mess but right now he was drawing a blank.

"Have you spoken to your parents?"

The small blonde shook her head. "I wouldn't know what to tell them."

"You just explain what's happened and then they can go speak to Vic."

"Oh, of course, it's all so simple – and tell me on a scale of one to ten, how happy do you think Victoire will be that I've told our parents about what's possibly the biggest thing to happen in her life so far before she could?"

"Fair point." Fred shrugged, his head turning to face straight ahead. "But it's better than doing nothing. Besides which if I doubt she'll want to wait up and explain it all when they get home later." He jumped as he felt his cousin's hand clutch his forearm in a vice-like grip, looking to find her eyes were wide and her face was panicked. "Dom?"

"She was packing."

"Huh?"

"When I left," her voice wavered. "She was going through all her things, she was stuffing a load of it into her old school trunk. And not just a few bits and pieces – there was a _lot _she was putting in, all her prized-possessions, sentimental stuff."

"Well where was she going?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask!" Fred's mouth gaped at his cousin and she shook her head hurriedly. "I wasn't thinking straight, I was too distracted by having to chase after and then she hit me with the news about Teddy…"

"Come on," Fred took control, dragging her in the direction of the tent. "We need to get your parents - _now_."

Nodding, Dominique raced ahead of her cousin in spite of her ridiculous footwear. He could just make out her desperate cries for her mother as she entered the marquee around ten paces ahead of him and at that point he could only hope they weren't too late.

%%%

The delicate scent of sea lavender still hung in the air, only this time it was coating Victoire's throat, forming a sickening layer that caused her to gag a little whilst she dragged her partially shrunken trunk along the front path of Shell Cottage. Tears streaming down her face, she paused for a moment by the front gate and took a moment to simply look at her childhood home. For her entire life this had been somewhere safe, where she could always find comfort and peace, somewhere she yearned to be whenever she was absent. Now as she studied the grey stone of the building, her heart broke at the realisation that this was the first time she couldn't bear to stay here.

Victoire had managed to finish gathering her things in a little under ten minutes once she'd convince Dominique to leave her to it, taking the time to sit at their kitchen table and write an apologetic note to her parents. She might've stayed to say goodbye if she thought she could've bared to see their faces, but even the thought of her mother's desperate pleas for her to stay and her father's disappointment was too much. She knew she'd give up on the idea if she let them have a say and that just wasn't an option.

The breeze was cooler than earlier, making her glad she'd bothered to change out of the wisp of a gown she'd been wearing for the party. Instead the part-veela wore her scruffiest skinny jeans, her worn out converse and the over-sized yellow jumper belonging to what she now supposed was her former-boyfriend. She'd wanted to be comfortable before she set off, not entirely certain of her plan yet but unwilling to take any longer to work it out. All Victoire knew was that she needed to get away and she needed to do that right now.

One final moment, one deep breath and a then a loud crack disturbed the peace of the shore-side property, marking the departure of the eldest Weasley grandchild mere minutes before a great flurry of activity burst through the kitchen fireplace of the cottage. Then the silence of the Cornwall shoreline was once again shattered by the desperate howling of a mother without her child.

%%%

_So whenever I introduce my own OCs I feel I want to add their origins – Sean Finnigan is the eldest of the three children of Seamus Finnigan and Susan Bones, whilst Robyn Thomas is the only child of Dean Thomas and Cho Chang. These are my own personal head canons._

_This chapter was actually a lot of fun to write, and I'm hoping people aren't too bothered by the slightly steamier sections – if there's an issue I'll up the rating to M but as of now I think it's innocent enough. This has now set things officially in motion for the story so I hope you'll enjoy, and every read/review/follow/favourite for this is truly appreciated :)_


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